Project Coffee

xxii

I scurried down the stairwell feeling more like sonic the hedgehog rather then Katie the human.

I couldn't help it, the scent of hot food lingered all throughout the house.Making me wonder: how much food did Freddie order?

The answer was a whole crap load.

"You do realize there is only three of us,right?"I ask when I walk into the kitchen to see the counter top practically covered in Chinese food."Did you order the whole restaurant?"I ask again while Freddie keeps munching on his noodles right from the container and not bothering to get a plate for himself first.Animal.

"There is only two of us tonight,"He responds not bothering to look up from his phone."Mom's at a dinner event with her boss or something."

"She didn't tell about going to an event today."I respond grabbing a clean plate for the two of us before walking back to the table and sitting across from Freddie.

"Guess she forgot."He shrugs seeming pretty pissed.I search the containers for my fried rice feeling more like it was a scavenger hunt then sitting down and having dinner.

"Is everything alright?"I ask finally relaxing while pouring a good amount of the rice onto my plate.

"Dad called again."He stated as if it explained everything.

"Why do you always get so ticked when he calls?"I ask."All he wants to do is spend some time with you."

"If he wanted to spend time with us, he wouldn't have left."Freddie fires back finally looking up at me, only making me wish he hadn't.

"There is no us when it comes to him Freddie, you should know that by now."

"Then there is no quality father-son time with him."Freddie shrugs.

A silence settles into the room making my head feel like it were on fire, I wanted so bad to ask what our father said to Freddie. But I already now how Freddie would get if I asked him. He'd start fighting with me saying all the things he wouldn't say to our father, because even though he vanished from our lives, even though he left Freddie without a childhood hero and our mom working on minimum wage for so long. Freddie still loved his dad.

And then there was I, the daughter he never asks for. He was the father who never existed in my book. I'd seen him in old photographs and family portraits before I was born, but never in person. And at this point, I was better off not knowing who he was.

"The homecoming dance is this weekend."Freddie cuts into my train of thoughts.

"So is the homecoming game."I remind him.

"Are you planning on going to the dance?"He asks looking down at his half full plate.

"Yeah,"I respond not sure where this was leading, Freddie was normally at every school dance there was, it helped his popularity and boosts his self esteem.

"Do you have a date?"He asks look at me know with a raised brow.I felt myself squirm in my chair. Yeah,Alex I would have responded if I didn't know how much Freddie hates Alex.

"Yeah,"I respond not bothering to tell him who it was.

"Is it Alex?"He asks I keep my eye focused on my plate not wanting to fall under the dangers he was metaphorically shooting at me.